Jean-Pierre Sasson (1918-1999) was a magnificent yet often overlooked figure in the history of French jazz guitar. Despite his remarkable contributions during the golden era of French jazz in the 1950s, Sasson’s legacy has sadly faded from memory. In 1939, he took his first steps into the professional music scene, initially drawn to the strong personality of Django Reinhardt, but ultimately developing his style based on the schools of Teddy Bunn and Al Casey. Listening to them, Sasson learned to interpret the blues with an authentically black spirit.

Amid the upheavals of World War II, Sasson moved to London in 1940, where he continued to interact with the English jazz scene until he joined the R.A.F., serving as captain-pilot until the end of World War II. Upon returning to France in 1946, Sasson was captivated by Charlie Christian’s electrically amplified guitar, and single-string solo technique, marking a crucial moment in Sasson’s musical evolution. Later, in the early 1950s, Sasson did not evade the significant influence, both in terms of rhythm and harmony, that Jimmy Raney and Tal Farlow exerted on many French guitarists and modern jazz in general. Nevertheless, Sasson gradually distanced himself from these influences to forge his own versatile path.

As a jazzman, Sasson’s significant quality lay in an attack that is both flexible and incisive, generating swing with great ease of execution. His delightful sound evolved somewhat over the years, parallel to his evolving style. The guitarist with the most recorded jazz sessions in France, for whom his entire approach was dedicated to one objective: producing swing.

—Jordi Pujol